Automatic piano.



No. 795,817. PATENTED AUG. 1, 1905. n M. CLARK.

AUTOMATIC PIANO.

APrLIoATIoN FILED 1113.6. 1905.

- s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED AUG. 1, d1905. M.' CLARK.

AUTOMATIC PIANO.

APPLIGATION FILED 1113.6. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATBNTED AUG. 1, 1905. M. GLARK. AUTOMATIC PIANO.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 6. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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MELVILLE CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLNOIS.

vAUTOMATIC PIANO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1905.

Application filed February 6, 1905. Serial No. 244,326.

To LZ/Z whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that 1, MnLvILLn CLARK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Pianos, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide, in an automatic piano, aconstruction of the automatic operating devices with relation to thepiano action and case, adapted to be applied to the more common andfamiliar ty res of construction of pianos and cases with the leastchange in the cases and with the least scattering of the parts of the`pneumatic action, and particularly to provide a construction andarrangement which shall permit the most direct action 'of themotor-pneumatics upon the keys.

'It consists of the features of construction set out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a fore-and-aft vertical section of a pianohaving my improved construction. Fig. 2 is a section at the line 2 2 onFig. 1 Fig. 3 is a section at the line 3 3 on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a frontelevation with the desk-front removed and the piano-action not shown.Fig. 5 is a detail section at the line 5 5 on Fig. 3. A

In the drawings the piano-case is shown constructed in substantially ausual manner,

l comprising the upper and lower sills 1 and 2 and vertical posts 3,(only one of which appears in the drawings,) constituting the rearframe, on which the sound-board 5 is mounted in the customary manner,the end frames 6 and 7, rigid with the sound-board and rigidly connectedalso by the bottom board 8 and front base-molding 10 at the lower part,by the key-table 9 at the middle part, and by the cap '12 at the top.The manual-keys 13 are mounted in the customary manner on the keytable9, and the several parts of the action 14 are also mounted in thecustomary position and supported in the customary manner on thetraverse-bars o Z2 c, extending between the end frames 6 and 7, locatedso as to place the action wholly above the level of the manual andwithin a space directly in front of the sound-board, extending not morethan halfway forward therefrom toward the desk-front.

. Below the desk-front the case ,projects forward in a shelf or shoulder15, which curves downward to the manual, and the fall-board 16 isadapted to be reversed on this shoulder, as shown in Fig. 1 in dottedlines.

The pumpers 17 17 and the exhaust-air chamber or 'receiver 18 aremounted on a board 19, which is secured to the under side of thekey-table, so that it may be removed, taking with it the pumpers andreceivingchamber, and may be applied to any piano of ordinaryconstruction without interfering with any of the operating parts., thepumpers and receiving-chamber being preferably entirely at the rear ofthe screen-board 20. The detail construction shown is that thefoundation-board 18, below which is the receiver and above which are thepumpers, is connected at the ends with the board 19 by the hanger-boards18h, whose vertical dimensions alford space for the pumpers between thefoundationboard and the board 19. The .pumpers are operated by thepedals 22 22, removably supported at the forward side of thescreen-board on a three-sided frame 21, the rear ends of whose side barsare hooked into eyes 21a on the base-molding 1() and connected with thepumpers for operation of the latter by links 23 23, each attached at theupper end to a lever-arm 24: of a rock-shaft 24, extending fore and aftand mounted on the board 19 and having behind the screenboard 2O anoppositely-extending lever-arm 24h, connected with the pumper foroperating the latter.

rlhe pneumatic action is mounted entirely above the key-table,comprising the exhaustair chamber 25, which contains the primarypneumatics 26', the motor-pneumatics 27, having their fixed membersmounted rigidly on the forward side of the exhaust-air chamber andprojecting' forwardly therefrom, occupying the space under the shoulder15 of the case above the manual-keys. The controllingsheet 28, take-upand rewind rolls 29 and 30, and the operating mechanism for the rolls,together with the tracker-board 31, are mounted in their customaryrelation to each other at the upper part of the case directly above theair-chamber 25, and the ducts 32 32 from the tracker-board extend to theseveral primary pneumatics in the air-chamber 25, the construction ofthis pneumatic action as a whole being substantially as employed incertain familiar constructions of piano-players made for exterior actionupon the manual keys. The entire pneumatic action above the manual-keysis mounted so as to be handled integrally, this being accomplished byproviding' the frame 33, in which the trackerboard 31 is mounted rigidlyand the rolls Q9 and 30 are journaled and on which the case 40 of themotor mechanism of whatever sort may be employed for operating the rollsis also mounted, this frame 33 being itself mounted rigidly upon the topof the air-chamber Q5 and said air-chamber being in turn supported atits ends upon thetop of the keytable and further independently supportedby attachment to brackets 25 on cheeks 6 and 7, rigid with andsubstantially part of the ends 6 and 7 of the case. 'The air-chamber25is connected with the receiver 18 by pipes 35 35, inserted through thekey-table and through the board 19, connecting with the air-passages 13,which lead from the receiver head-bar 13e through the foundation-board13n and through the hangerboards 18" to the lower ends of said pipes.These pipes register attheir upper ends with the lower ends of thehollow feet 34. 34, by which the air-chamber is supported on thekey-table, packing-washers 34 interposed between the table and the endsof the feet rendering the connection air-tight.

The front portion of the piano-case comprising the parts forming theshelf or shoulder 15 and the desk-frontare made removable, being securedin place by screws 36 36, taking into the ends of the piano-case, andwhen said parts are removed the entire pneumatic action can be removedthrough the front of the ease upon withdrawing the screws 37, whichsecure the air-chamber 25 to the key-table and to the cheeks 6 and 7 ofthe piano-case ends. As above stated, also the pumpers and receiver canbe separated entirely from the piano-ease by detaching thefoundation-board 19, and the pedals can in like manner be lifted fromtheir supports for detachment, so that the piano can be entirelyrelieved of all the parts pertaining' to the automatic action, andtheelemcnts of the case being restored to place no evidence of thechange will appear. Conversely, all the parts of the automatic structurecan be applied to a piano of ordinary construction, for which removablefront and fall board have been provided adapted, by means of a shoulderor shelf, such as 15, to afford space over the manual-keys for themotor-pneumatics, as illustrated.

rIhe motor-pneumatics operate by the rigidly-connected buttons orhammers 39 39 at the forward end of their movable elements directly uponthe upper side of the respective keys at a distance sufliciently forwardof the fulcrums of the keys to give proper stroke to the latter, and bythus locating the pneumatics so that they have opportunity for a directdownstroke upon the keys similar to that which they receive when theinstrument is being played by hand and similar also to that which theyreceive when it is being' operated by the playing-fingers of an exteriorautomatic player I have reduced the mechd anism to the minimum, therebeing absolutely no parts intervening between the motorepneumatics andthe keys, and I also avoid the objections to acting upwardly upon therear end of the keys instead of downwardly forward of the fulcrum. I amalso by this means able to reduce to the minimum the distance betweenthe air-chamber and the tracker-board, making the connections as nearlyequal as they can be made by any arrangement and with the minimum turnsor bends in the pipes, which increase the friction of air in its passageand increase the liability to kicking or ShOrt-fOkIing, causing' totalobstruction to the passage of the air.

This construction makes it possible to furnish the pneumatic action,together with the removable front elements of thecase, for convertingany ordinary piano into an automatic piano without in any respectinterfering with its effectiveness when played by hand and withoutpreventing perfect access to the actidn and strings for tuning, sincesuch access is obtained readily by removing the automatic action bodily,as described.

I claimt 1. In an automatic piano in combination with the piano-case andthe manual-keys, a pneumatic action comprising motor-pneu matics andtheir controlling and operating devices contained within the piano-case,such motor-pueumatics exteriorly exposed to atmospheric pressure beinglodged directly above the manual-keys and having their mov ing membersacting by collapse of the pneumatic downwardly on the respective keysforward of the fulcrums of the latter and rearward of the entire portionof such keys eX- posed for manual playing.

2. In an automatic piano in combination with the piano-case and themanual-keys, an exhaust-air chamber, motor-pneumatics outside suchchamber and the primary pneumatics and valves for controlling themcontained within the piano-case above the manual-table themotor-pneumatics being located in position to overhang the keysrespectively and having' their moving members acting' downwardly on thekeys forward of the fulcrums of the latter and rearward of the entireportion of such keys exposed for manual playing.

3. In an automatic piano in combination with the piano-case and themanual-keys, an exhaust-air chamber, motor-pneuinatics outside suchchamber and projecting' forwardly therefrom and the primary pneumaticsand valves for controlling them contained in the piano-case above themanual-table, the tracker-board-controlling sheet and the rolls andmechanism for operating the same also mounted together in a fixed frameabove the pneumatic action, and ducts connecting the tracker-board withthe latter, the motel'- pneumatics being located in position to overhangthe keys respectively and having their moving' members acting downwardlyon the said keys forward of the fulcrums of the latter and rearward ofthe entire portion of such keys exposed for manual playing.

4. In an automatic piano in combination with the piano-case and thekey-tabletherein, a pneumatic action comprising an exhaust-air chamber,and primary pneumatics therein, motor-pneumatics mounted thereon andprojecting forwardly therefrom, said air-chamber being supported on thepiano-case above the key-table, and the motor-pneumatics overhanging thekeys respectively and having their moving members acting downwardly uponthe latter forward of their fulcrums and rearward of the entire portionexposed for manual playing.

5. In an automatic piano in combination with the piano-case and thekey-table therein, a pneumatic action comprising an exhaust-air chamberand primary pneumatics therein, said air-chamber being supported on thekey-table at the end portions thereof beyond the manualkeys andextending above the latter, and motor-pneumatics projecting forwardlyfrom said airchamber overhanging the keys respectively and having theirmoving members acting downwardly upon the latter forward of theirfulcrums and rearward of the entire portion exposed for manualplaying.

6. In an automatic piano in combination with the piano-case and thekey-table supported therein, a pneumatic action comprising anair-chamber; motor-pneumatics communicating therewith and primarypneumatics and valves for controlling the action of themotor-pneumatics, the air-chamber being supported on the key-table andextending above the manual-keys, the motor-pneumatics being supportedrigidly on the air-chamber overhanging the keys respectively and havingtheir moving members acting downwardly upon the latter forward of theirfulcrums and rearward of the entire portion exposed for manual playing,and air-supplying devices mounted below the key-table comprising an airreservoir or receiver communicating with the air-chamber through thesupports of the latter on the key-table.

7. In an upright piano, in combination with the piano-case and themanual-keys, an automatic pneumatic action comprising an exhaustairchamber and motor-pneumatics and their controlling and operating devicesand means for striking the keys contained within the piano-case, themotor-pneumatics being exterior to the exhaust-chamber and operating bycollapse vfor striking the keys, their moving walls being in positiondirectly overhanging the points at which they give the stroke to thekeys respectively and acting downwardly thereon forward of the fulcrumsof the latter and rearward of the entire portion of such keys exposedfor manual playingJ 8. In an upright piano, in combination with thepiano-case and the manual-keys, an exhaust-air chamber; motor-pneumaticsoutside such air-chamber and valves controlling them, all containedwithin the piano-case above the manual-table, the motor-pneumaticshaving their moving walls acting downwardly on the keys forward of thefulcrums of the latter and directly overhanging the points on the re'-spective keys at which they thus act thereon.

9. In an upright piano, in combination with the piano-case and themanual.- keys, an exhaust-air chamber; motor-pneumatics outside suchchamber and the primary pneumatics and valves for controlling them allcontained in the piano-case above the manual-table, thetracker-board-controlling sheet and the rolls and mechanism foroperating same also mounted together in a fixed frame above the pneu-.matic action, and ducts connecting the trackerboard with the latter,the motor-pneumatics having their moving members acting by collapse ofthe pneumatics downwardly on the keys forward of the fulcrums of thelatter and directly overhanging the points on the respective keys atwhich they thus act thereon.

l0. In an upright piano, in combination with the piano-case and thekey-table thereof, a pneumatic action comprising an exhaust-air chamberand primary pneumatics therein, motor-pneumatics mounted onsuchchamberexterior thereto and projecting forwardly there-A from, saidair-chamber being supported on the piano-case above the key-table, themotorpneumatics having their moving walls operating downwardly upon thekeys forward of the fulcrurns of the latter and overhanging the pointson the respective keys at which they thus act thereon.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of twowitnesses, at

Chicago, Illinois, this 26th day of January,

MELVILLE CLARK.

In presence ofl CHAs. S. BURTON, FREDK. G. FISCHER.

